BOOKS & BUSINESS; SAVING FOR ARMAGEDDON: Review

• Published in: The New York times 1988
• Main Author: banker., MICHAEL M. THOMAS: Michael M. Thomas's fifth novel, ''Hanover Place,'' will be published next year. He is a former investment
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Subjects: BATRA, RAVI; KING, JOHN L; THOMAS, MICHAEL M
• ISSN: 0362-4331

Now comes Mr. [Ravi Batra] with a sequel - ''Surviving the Great Depression of 1990'' - and John L. King, an investment guru with whose wizardry I am otherwise unfamiliar, with ''How To Profit From the Next Great Depression,'' which is, in effect, a sequel to Mr. Batra's first work too. The two new books add up to a total of 575 pages devoted to a topic that, if you are considering buying either or both of them on the strength of their titles, requires at most a paragraph. If you honestly believe America is going down the tubes financially, there are only two things to own, specie (cash money or gold) or United States Treasury bills, and only one place to store them - in a fireproof safe in the basement of your own unmortgaged residence. Period, end of report. ''Surviving the Great Depression of 1990'' is much more substantial, yet potential buyers should be aware of a paradox. The title suggests that this is, as Hollywood might put it, ''1990 - The Sequel,'' to be coveted by admirers of Mr. Batra's previous book. It really isn't. The how-to sections are essentially meandering, glancing peeks at various forms of savings and employment categories, rated in terms of comparative safety, and they constitute less than a third of the book's text. By far the larger and more engaging part of the book is essentially a reiteration of Mr. Batra's best seller. ''Surviving the Great Depression of 1990'' will therefore be far more useful, eye-opening or irritating to anyone who has not read ''The Great Depression of 1990'' than to someone who has.